Peanuts genetically modified to express H. pylori antigens have been produced in an attempt to create edible vaccines. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Transgenic Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Expressing the Urease Subunit B Gene of Helicobacter pylori.
Curr Microbiol. 2011 Aug 11. Epub 2011 Aug 11. PMID: 21833666
School of Basic Medicine, Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450008, China.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been identified as the main pathogenic factors of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer, and the Class I carcinogen of gastric cancer by WHO. Vaccine has become the most effective measure to prevent and cure H. pylori infection. The UreB is the most effective and common immunogen of all strains of H. pylori and may stimulate the immunoresponse protecting the human body against the challenge of H. pylori. UreB antigen gene was cloned into the binary vector pBI121 which contains a seed-specific promoter Oleosin of peanut and a kanamycin resistance gene, and then UreB gene was transformed into peanut embryo leaflets by Agrobacter-mediated method. The putative transgenic plants were examined for the presence of UreB in the nuclear genome of peanut plants by PCR analysis. Expression of UreB gene in plants was identified by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. These results suggest that the UreB transgenic peanut can be potentially used as an edible vaccine for controlling H. pylori.